Technology: Your Next Videogame

The buzz at last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles was more electronic than entertainment, thanks to a pair of dueling handheld videogame systems from industry giants Sony and Nintendo. First, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) unveiled its movie-, music- and game-playing PlayStation Portable--and it was nothing short of stunning. The PSP's 4.3-inch widescreen display showcases both video and games nicely, and its built-in Wi-Fi offers cool possibilities for online interactivity. Not to be outdone, reigning handheld champ Nintendo unveiled the DS, which has two screens along with Wi-Fi and a separate short-range wireless radio for chat and instant messaging. Demos showed that the bland-looking DS is loaded with high-tech innovations. One game involved navigating a falling baby Mario to safety by using the stylus to trace out a line of virtual clouds to guide his descent; another was a first-person shooter that lets users look around by dragging the stylus left or right, then tapping on the screen to fire. Is the new Nintendo a game machine or a tween lifestyle device? Maybe both.

The entertainment side of the expo may not have been as hot as the electronic side, but it was no less eye-catching. The almost-ubiquitous PlayStation 2 hasn't had many good first-person shooters, but that's finally going to change this fall with the release of some new titles. Both Snowblind from Eidos and Killzone from SCEA take place in a near-future dystopia, but they couldn't look more different. Snowblind, which gives you cool gadgets and weapons, such as force shields and robotic insect swarms, has a neon-drenched look reminiscent of "Blade Runner," while Killzone's harsh, burned-out battlefields bear more than a passing resemblance to the photos of Robert Capa. But the most impressive PS2 title on display was Sony's God of War, in which a Spartan warrior slays Cyclopes, Medusas and other monsters from Greek mythology, leading to a final confrontation with Ares, the god of war. The game looks gorgeous, and the controls are so well thought out that even beginners will find it a joy to play.

Many still see Nintendo's Gamecube as a kids' console, with nothing to offer grown-up gamers. One look at Capcom's darkly beautiful zombie epic, Resident Evil 4, will disabuse anyone of that notion. But the Disney-like genius of Nintendo is most manifest in Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, in which you control the game using a bongo with a built-in microphone. Tap the right drum to move right, the left to go left, clap to stun your foes, then whale on both drums to pummel them into submission. If you don't fall in love with this game instantly, your heart must be three sizes too small.

For the Xbox, Microsoft's Halo is a no-brainer, as the multiplatinum-selling shooter returns with long-awaited online support. But the surprise for Xbox was Advent Rising from Majesco, a super-stylish "Star Wars"-meets-"The Matrix" action adventure, which is being written by sci-fi author Orson Scott Card, best known for the "Ender's Game" series of novels. When writers of his caliber want to work on videogames, it's more proof that electronic entertainment is no passing fad.

© 2004